The Commentariat -- February 27, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Matt Phillips of the New York Times: "Global markets tumbled for a sixth consecutive day on Thursday, dragging down the S&P 500 more than 10 percent in just a week, reflecting rising fears over the coronavirus that is spreading quickly around the world. The S&P 500 fell 4.4 percent on Thursday, the worst single day slide for the market since August 2011. The index is on pace for its worst weekly performance since the 2008 financial crisis. Stocks in Europe and Asia were also hard hit on Thursday. The sell-off came after public health officials in the United States and Germany said new patients in each country had no known connection to others with the illness, a development that could complicate efforts to track the virus." The CNBC story is here. Mrs. McC: Wow! Democrats really upset traders.

Emily Cochrane, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal health employees interacted with Americans quarantined for possible exposure to the coronavirus without proper medical training or protective gear, then scattered into the general population, according to a government whistle-blower. In a portion of a complaint filing obtained by The New York Times that has been submitted to the Office of the Special Counsel, the whistle-blower, described as a senior leader at the health agency, said the team was 'improperly deployed' to two military bases in California to assist the processing of Americans who had been evacuated from coronavirus hot zones in China and elsewhere. The staff members were sent to Travis Air Force Base and March Air Reserve Base and were ordered to enter quarantined areas, including a hangar where coronavirus evacuees were being received. They were not provided training in safety protocols until five days later, the person said. Without proper training or equipment, some of the exposed staff members moved freely around and off the bases, with at least one person staying in a nearby hotel and leaving California on a commercial flight." The Washington Post story is here. The Hill has a summary report here.

Stifling the Experts. Michael Shear & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The White House moved on Thursday to tighten control of coronavirus messaging by government health officials and scientists, directing them to coordinate all statements and public appearance with the office of Vice President Mike Pence, according to several officials familiar with the new approach.... Mr. Pence said Thursday that he had selected Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the director of the United States effort to combat H.I.V. and AIDS, to serve as the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House.... With Mr. Pence's announcement, Dr. Birx becomes the third person to be designated as the administration's primary coronavirus official. Mr. Trump said that 'Mike is going to be in charge, and Mike will report back to me.' Mr. Pence said it will be Dr. Birx. Meanwhile, Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, remains the chairman of the government's coronavirus task force.... Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, one of the country's leading experts on viruses and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases, told associates that the White House had instructed him not to say anything else without clearance." ~~~

Trump's plan for the coronavirus so far: -Cut winter heating assistance for the poor -Have VP Pence, who wanted to 'pray away' HIV epidemic, oversee the response -Let ex-pharma lobbyist Alex Azar refuse to guarantee affordable vaccines to all' -Disgusting. -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, in a tweet yesterday evening

Related Hill story here.

Martyn McLaughlin of the Scotsman: "Patrick Harvie MSP, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said there were reasonable grounds for suspecting that the US president, or people he is connected with, 'have been involved in serious crime.' He has called on ministers to apply to the Court of Session to seek answers as to how Mr Trump's bankrolled his multimillion acquisitions of land and property in his mother's homeland. Responding at First Minister's Questions, Nicola Sturgeon stressed she was 'no defender' of Mr Trump, but said any allegations of criminality were a matter for Police Scotland and the Crown Office." Harvie asked the goverment to investigate via an "unexplained wealth order," a rarely-used tool designed "to target suspected corrupt foreign officials who have potentially laundered stolen money through the UK."

Senator Warren gets pointers about South Carolina from a native son. Thanks to PD Pepe for the link:

Zack Budryk of the Hill: "The Boston Globe Editorial Board on Wednesday endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld's long-shot primary challenge to President Trump. 'Although sometimes dismissed as a gadfly because of his Libertarian Party vice presidential bid in 2016, Weld is a solid, substantive, hyper-smart figure. As governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997, he demonstrated an ability to work with an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature to produce impressive results,' the Globe said." The Globe's editorial is here.

Luke Broadwater, et al., of the Baltimore Sun: "Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who held elected offices in Baltimore for two decades and was elevated by voters to lead the city following the upheaval of 2015, was sentenced to three years in federal prison Thursday for a fraud scheme involving a children's book series.... 'I have yet frankly to hear any explanation that makes sense,' the judge said. 'This was not a tiny mistake, lapse of judgment. This became a very large fraud. The nature and circumstances of this offense clearly I think are extremely, extremely serious.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump named Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday to coordinate the government's response to the coronavirus, even as he repeatedly played down the danger to the United States of a widespread domestic outbreak. The president's announcement, at a White House news conference, followed mounting bipartisan criticism that the administration's response had been sluggish and came after two days of contradictory messages about the virus, which has infected more than 81,000 people globally, killing nearly 3,000. The announcement also came on a day when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a person with no known risk factors had been infected in Northern California. 'The risk to the American people remains very low,' said Mr. Trump, flanked by top health officials from several government agencies. 'We have the greatest experts, really in the world, right here.'... Several top health care experts at the news conference echoed Mr. Trump's optimism but also offered a more sober assessment of the future risks. Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the C.D.C., warned Americans that there would be more infections.... About a half-hour later, Mr. Trump contradicted Ms. Schuchat's assessment, telling reporters that 'I don't think it's inevitable.' He left the door open to travel restrictions beyond China, to other hard-hit countries like South Korea and Italy, and said his early decision to stop flights from China had held the virus at bay." ~~~

~~~ Nisky Guy translation of Trump's remarks: I ignore the greatest experts in the world.

     ~~~ CNN's story, by Maegan Vasquez & others, is here. ~~~

~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: So it's Wednesday evening, & Trump is giving a rambling, disjointed speech about the coronavirus threat. Naturally, he occasionally contradicts himself, which should give you a lot of confidence he knows what he's talking about. It doesn't help that he's sniffing constantly, as if he caught the virus while he was in India. He says he put mike pence in charge of the federal government's response to the epidemic, so thank God we know we have someone praying for us. Now HHS Secretary Alex Azar is thanking Trump for his great leadership on the matter. I'm waiting for him to tell us to buy duct tape. IOW, we're screwed. BTW, I had to go to a couple of pharmacies today, so while I was there I asked if they sold surgical masks: yes, but sold out in both places. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Trump claimed during the presser that a vaccine would be developed "fairly quickly." Later in the presser, Dr. Tony Fauci of NIH explained why, in the most optimistic scenario, it would take a minimum of a year for a vaccine to be made available to the public. ~~~

~~~ Everything Is Going Very Smoothly. Caroline Kelly of CNN: "Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Azar stressed that he was still in charge of the task force addressing the novel coronavirus following ... Donald Trump's announcement that Vice President Mike Pence would lead US efforts to battle the outbreak.... Azar's post-news conference statements muddled the message on who is in charge of the administration's response to the crisis, which was perhaps the biggest news to come out of Trump's meandering news conference on the virus Wednesday evening.... When asked whether he felt he [was] being replaced, Azar relied, 'Not in the least.... When this was mentioned to me, I was delighted that I'd get to have the vice president helping me -- delighted, absolutely,' he continued. Azar also said the coronavirus poses a low risk to the American public, despite warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the contrary." Mrs. McC: According to MSNBC, pence's appointment was first "mentioned to Azar" at the press conference, surprising Azar. ~~~

~~~ Erin Banco & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "The president's decision to put Pence in charge was seen by some as further evidence that he is not taking the threat of coronavirus seriously. Over the decades, Pence has amassed a public record that his critics have often bashed as anti-science. On matters of public health, for instance, he has made wild claims in the past. 'Despite the hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn't kill. In fact, two out of every three smokers does not die from a smoking-related illness and nine out of 10 smokers do not contract lung cancer,' Pence said in 2000. Additionally, Pence has advocated teaching creationism in American public schools.... While top health agencies have warned that it is merely a matter of time before the virus spreads in the United States, Trump has seemed focused on controlling the narrative to prevent a financial crisis from getting in the way of his re-election campaign."

~~~ Lauran Neergaard & Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar of NBC Miami & the AP: "Rep. Bennie Thompson [D-Miss.]..., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee..., [said] that putting Pence, 'someone with no public health expertise, in charge of the response will not instill confidence with the American people and raises questions about the administration's ability to coordinate an effective response to a complex public health threat.' During his time as Indiana's governor, Pence faced criticism for his response to a public health crisis in the southern part of the state. In 2015, Scott County saw the number of people infected with HIV skyrocket.... Indiana law at the time prohibited needle exchanges, exacerbating the outbreak, which primarily infected intravenous users of the painkiller Opana. Pence had long opposed needle exchanges but was eventually persuaded to issue an executive order allowing one in Scott County. Despite his own misgivings -- Pence said he didn't support the exchanges as an 'anti-drug policy' -- he signed a law allowing the state government to approve them on a case-by-case basis." ~~~

~~~ Gail Collins of the New York Times: "The run-up to the Pence unveiling had not been exactly calming for citizens who wanted to have faith in competent White House oversight. Barack Obama used to have special epidemic-watching groups just in case this kind of crisis developed. One was headed by the highly regarded Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer, who got sent packing by John Bolton. Another infectious disease expert, Tom Bossert, suddenly vanished from the Department of Homeland Security in 2018, presumably also at the hand of John You-know-who.... [Trump has] come up with a totally new explanation for the stock market skid. It turns out investors were not frightened so much by the pandemic as the Democratic debate. 'I think the financial markets are very upset when they look at the Democrat candidates standing on that stage making fools out of themselves,' Trump told reporters. Plus that virus thing is ... not necessarily a big deal. What really 'shocked' him, Trump said, was his discovery that 'the flu in our country kills 25,000 people to 69,000 people a year.' So the problems are the Democrats and the flu. The answers are Mike Pence and ... reminding the public once again that Nancy Pelosi's district has a big homeless problem." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It is worth noting here that the markets crashed Monday & Tuesday. The Democratic debate was Tuesday night. So evidently the markets crashed because traders anticipated the candidates would "stand on that stage & make fools of themselves."

From the Washington Post's live updates on coronavirus developments @4:30 pm ET Wednesday: "Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) who served as the health and human services secretary in Bill Clinton's administration, chastised Trump over his planned news briefing this evening, arguing that only medical professionals and scientists should be speaking to the public about the coronavirus. Shalala said during an appearance on MSNBC that this was especially so when it comes to Trump. 'This is an anti-science administration,' she said. 'The last person the American people trust is the president of the United States talking about science.'" Mrs. McC: Sorry, the link no longer works, & I can't retrieve the text. ~~~

President Trump responds to coronavirus w/acting WH chief of staff, acting intel director, acting Homeland Security sec'y; he has launched a loyalty purge; he wants to cut CDC and NIH budgets; he eliminated NSC post to safeguard against global pandemics -- John Harwood of CNN, in a tweet Wednesday morning

~~~ Trump to Hold Presser to Misinform Public about Health Crisis. Noal Weiland & Emily Chocrane of the New York Times: "President Trump blamed the media on Wednesday for 'doing everything possible' to make the coronavirus 'look as bad as possible,' even as he said his administration was 'doing a great job' with a virus that the Centers for Disease Control said would inevitably hit American shores. Mr. Trump set a 6 p.m. White House news conference to discuss the virus with officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But reassurances have not global markets, which were down sharply overseas Wednesday morning. A day after its worst one-day slide in two years, the S&P 500 closed down 3 percent on Tuesday, a decline that put the index deeper in the red for 2020. With cabinet secretaries fanning out on Capitol Hill, Wednesday promised more sharp questioning about the administration's preparedness for a virus that has now infected more than 81,000 people globally and killed more than 2,700." A Hill report is here. Mrs. McC: Maybe McQuack will be arrested for practicing medicine without a license. Meanwhile, shame on news media for reporting news. (Also linked yesterday.)

Intel Community to Mislead and/or STFU. Natasha Bertrand & Daniel Lippman of Politico: "... Donald Trump is tightening his grip on the intelligence community as part of a post-acquittal purge of career officials and political appointees deemed insufficiently loyal, and the abrupt firing of his last intel chief is only the tip of the iceberg, current and former intelligence officials say.... But it also revealed a deeper trend: namely, the steps Trump has taken to shield the public from intelligence that could be politically damaging for him, and keep the flow of information coming out of the agencies firmly under his control.... The NSA, CIA, and Pentagon have been urged by the White House not to share information about Russia and Ukraine with lawmakers, while the 'Gang of Eight' senior members of Congress were bypassed leading up to at least one major intelligence operation. And intelligence community leaders have backed out of the public portion of the annual worldwide threats hearing, fearing Trump's wrath if their assessments don't align with his." (Also linked yesterday.)

Justin Wise of the Hill: "The Marine Corps is calling for all paraphernalia related to the Confederacy to be removed from its bases around the world. Commandant Gen. David Berger made the directive in a memo to senior staff that included a list of initiatives that he is 'prioritizing for immediate execution,' according to a copy obtained by Military.com.... More than a third of all active-duty troops say they have personally witnessed an example of white nationalism or ideologically driven racism from another person within their ranks in recent months, according to survey conducted by The Military Times."

Aw, Sad. Chris Sommerfeldt of the New York Daily News: "Rudy Giuliani ... forgot to hang up on a Daily News reporter Wednesday and, thinking he was off the line, started trash-talking ex-Gov. George Pataki while complaining he only has 'five friends left.'" Read on for Rudy's beef with Pataki, which relates to Rudy's asking the then-governor to cancel NYC's 2001 mayoral election & leave him in office right after the 9/11 attack. Pataki put the story in a book he's hawking; Giuliani claims the conversation never happened.

Presidential Race

Lisa Lerer & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Dozens of interviews with Democratic establishment leaders this week show that they are not just worried about [Sen. Bernie] Sanders's candidacy, but are also willing to risk intraparty damage to stop his nomination at the national convention in July if they get the chance. Since Mr. Sanders's victory in Nevada's caucuses on Saturday, The Times has interviewed 93 party officials -- all of them superdelegates, who could have a say on the nominee at the convention -- and found overwhelming opposition to handing the Vermont senator the nomination if he arrived with the most delegates but fell short of a majority.... The party leaders say they worry that Mr. Sanders, a democratic socialist with passionate but limited support so far, will lose to President Trump, and drag down moderate House and Senate candidates in swing states with his left-wing agenda of 'Medicare for all' and free four-year public college." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: If this leaves Democrats with nominee Biden, the party's chances will be far worse than with Sanders as the nominee. In either eventuality, I foresee a loss to Trump. However, there's this: ~~~

~~~ Aris Folley of the Hill: "Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) presidential campaign said this week that he would not accept money from fellow Democratic presidential candidate >Mike Bloomberg if the senator becomes the party's presidential nominee. 'It's a hard no,' Jeff Weaver, a senior advisor for Sanders's 2020 presidential campaign, said of the idea in an interview with NBC News on Tuesday night after the primary debate in Charleston, S.C. 'Bernie has said he's going to fund his presidential campaign with small-dollar contributions, and I think we can do that.'" ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Chait: "... Democrats should consider the possibility that Sanders is not merely pretending to be a fanatic. He may be prepared to follow his convictions to their logical conclusion, at whatever cost. And the message to Democratic voters is, if you want your nominee to have the tailwind of Bloomberg's billion, nominate anybody but Sanders." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: If you find yourself in a bind and refuse to take help from someone you despise -- say, your avaricious, hedge-fund-trading brother -- then fine, good for you. But the weight of the free world is not riding on your shoulders. A presidential candidate has a little more responsibility. It isn't that principles are like glass meant for breaking; it's that they must be applied within the context of other considerations. I see this is too much nuance for top Bernie Bro Jeff Weaver to understand, but the candidate himself has a moral obligation to be more pragmatic.

Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "Democratic megadonor Bernard Schwartz has started reaching out to party leaders, particularly House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to encourage them to back a candidate for president in order to stop the surge of Sen. Bernie Sanders. Schwartz, the CEO of BLS Investments, told CNBC that in recent days he's been trying to speak with Pelosi and Schumer about making a pick, in the hope that voters will follow their lead and end up denying Sanders the party's presidential nomination. 'We should know who is the best person to beat Donald Trump, and with all due respect, Bernie Sanders cannot beat Trump,' he explained, describing the message he has relayed to the two Democratic leaders."

Caitlin Oprysko & Marc Caputo of Politico: "Rep. James Clyburn, the godfather of South Carolina Democratic politics, swung his support to Joe Biden's presidential campaign Wednesday, giving the former vice president a crucial seal of approval among black voters. 'I've been saying to the media, I've known for a long time who I'm going to vote for. But I had not decided -- well, not to share it with the public,' the House Majority Whip said at a news conference in North Charleston. 'But I want the public to know that I'm voting for Joe Biden. South Carolina should be voting for Joe Biden.'" ~~~

~~~ Joe's Fabulous Arrest. Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "At least three times this month, Joseph R. Biden Jr. has asserted that he was arrested as he sought to visit the anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela in prison, even saying that Mr. Mandela later thanked him for going to such an effort. And for a week, Mr. Biden's campaign declined to answer questions seeking comment and clarification on those remarks, which were rebutted by a former United States ambassador to the United Nations in an article in The New York Times.... But on Tuesday, Kate Bedingfield, a deputy campaign manager, said Mr. Biden was referring to an episode in which he was separated from black colleagues in Johannesburg while on a congressional delegation trip to South Africa in the 1970s. It was the campaign's first explanation to date -- but one that still left many questions unanswered and did not square with Mr. Biden's most recent remarks." ~~~

     ~~~ Dan MacGuill of Snopes puts Biden's arrest story to bed with a rating of "false."

Andrew Kaczynski, et al., of CNN: "Mike Bloomberg has vowed as a Democratic candidate for president to 'strengthen entitlement programs.' But when he was mayor of New York City, Bloomberg twice compared Social Security to a 'Ponzi scheme' and repeatedly said cuts to that program as well as Medicare and Medicaid had to be part of any serious solution to reducing the federal deficit.... 'We are giving monies out with the next guy's money coming in and at the end of -- when the music stops -- it's just not gonna be enough chairs for everybody,' Bloomberg said."

Michael Grynbaum & Marc Tracy of the New York Times: "President Trump's re-election campaign sued The New York Times for libel on Wednesday, alleging that an Op-Ed article published by the newspaper falsely asserted a 'quid pro quo' between Russian officials and Mr. Trump's 2016 campaign. Mr. Trump often threatens to sue media organizations but rarely follows through. The lawsuit, filed in New York State court in Manhattan, is the first time his political operation has taken legal action against an American news outlet since he took office. The lawsuit concerns an essay published by the Opinion section of The Times in March 2019. The article, headlined 'The Real Trump-Russia Quid Pro Quo,' was written by Max Frankel, who served as executive editor of The Times from 1986 to 1994. (The Opinion section of The Times operates separately from its newsroom.)... The suit also accuses The Times, without evidence, of harboring 'extreme bias against and animosity toward' Mr. Trump's re-election campaign.... Earlier Wednesday, several media law experts reacted with skepticism about the Trump campaign's chances of succeeding in the suit. 'A publisher cannot be held liable for commentary based on public facts,' said Brian Hauss, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union." A CNBC story is here. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Michael Scherer & Anu Narayanswamy of the Washington Post: "Former president Barack Obama on Wednesday called on South Carolina television stations to stop running an ad from a super PAC supporting President Trump that uses Obama's words out of context in a misleading attack on former vice president Joe Biden. The Committee to Defend the President, a pro-Trump group, circulated an ad that falsely suggests that words Obama spoke in the narration of his own 1995 book were meant to describe Biden.... The ad repurposes a similar attack the Committee to Defend the President ran last year in several states with many black politicians, including Georgia, Michigan and Louisiana, according to PolitiFact."

Larry Neumeister of the AP: "The Trump administration can withhold millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to force states to cooperate with U.S. immigration enforcement, a federal appeals court in New York ruled Wednesday in a decision that conflicted with three other federal appeals courts. The ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan overturned a lower court's decision ordering the administration to release funding to New York City and seven states -- New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, Virginia and Rhode Island." Mrs. McC: Two of the three judges were appointed by Republican presidents, though neither by Trump. The third is a Democratic appointee.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.

David Bauder of the AP: "ABC News has suspended political reporter David Wright after he was recorded in a barroom conversation calling ... Donald Trump a 'nightmare spouse that you can't win an argument with.' Wright also used a common vulgarity to describe why he didn't like the president in a conversation recorded by Project Veritas, the conservative website that uses hidden cameras and undercover reporters to ensnare journalists in embarrassing conversations.... Wright said voter are poorly informed by the media and that his bosses 'don't see an upside in doing the job we're supposed to do, which is to speak truth to power and hold people to account.' He described himself politically as a socialist who believes in national health insurance. ABC News would not say how long Wright would be suspended. He will be reassigned from political coverage when he returns to avoid any possible appearance of bias."

Justin Baragona & Maxwell Tani of the Daily Beast: "Following MSNBC contributor Dr. Jason Johnson's inflammatory remarks about supporters and campaign staffers of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the academic has been temporarily benched by the network, sources confirmed to The Daily Beast. In recent months, Johnson -- a fixture of the network's Democratic primary analysis -- has drawn considerable heat for his relentlessly anti-Sanders commentary on MSNBC, which has also come under fire from the left for its skeptical and largely negative coverage of the democratic-socialist senator. During an interview last week on SiriusXM's The Karen Hunter Show, Johnson claimed 'racist white liberals' support Sanders and that the senator has done 'nothing for intersectionality.' The MSNBC contributor then took aim at the women of color who work for Sanders. 'I don't care how many people from the island of misfit black girls you throw out there to defend you,' Johnson exclaimed."

News Ledes

New York Times: "A person in California who was not exposed to anyone known to be infected with the coronavirus, and had not traveled to countries in which the virus is circulating, has tested positive for the infection. It may be the first case of community spread in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday." A CDC report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: New York Times: "A California coronavirus patient had to wait days to be tested because of restrictive federal criteria, despite doctors' suggestions. The patient, who has tested positive, may be the first person to be infected through community spread in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday." ~~~

~~~ This raises the possibility that we only think we have few cases in the US, because we have only tested a few hundred people. -- Ronald Klain, who oversaw the Ebola response, in tweet ~~~

~~~ The New York Times' live updates of developments in the coronavirus epidemic are here.

Comments

[Anonymous]

Trump set Pence up. Without fail, he’ll F this up in spectacular fashion, worse than the AIDS travesty in Indiana. Beyond being a scapegoat, it could reach the level of dropping Pence from the 2020 ticket. Then we can watch the GOP line up behind either Princess Ivanka Dimwit or the Lady Vicious de Haley. The Lady is a cage fighter but the Princess has the perverted relationship edge with Trump.

[Justaguy]

Trump just replicated a move out of Xi’s playbook. Put up your second in command to take the blame if the shit head’s south.

[Marie Burns]

@Anonymous & @Justaguy: What shocking accusations to make! Also correct.

[Gloria]

Regarding the ABC reporter David Wright, it’s only bias if you’re a Democrat. IOBIYAD.

[NiskyGuy]

trump: "I ignore the greatest experts in the world."

[Bobby Lee]

Of course Azar is "pleased and happy" to have Pence in charge. Now he has some cover when things go boom. Folks better get ready for a dry spell, as Pence is likely to recommend abstinence to cure the virus.

[Akhilleus]

Bobby Lee,

Right. Just as soon as he gets permission from his wife.

I can see it now. A serious outbreak of the virus and a team of researchers and specialists fly to Washington from the CDC to suggest immediate plans in response but the half-pence can’t meet with them because most of them are women and his wife isn’t around to sit next to him and hold his hand.

Instead, they meet with Princess Ivanka who tweets that all is well (because she couldn’t figure out what they were talking about), and follows up with pictures of her new shoes and her special coronavirus outfit.

I mean, c’mon. She TRIED to find someone in the administration who understands that science-y stuff, but they’ve all been purged by Holy Mother Ginni for being disloyal (ie refusing to disavow science in favor of Trumpish lies). Meanwhile thousands more are stricken. Trump harrumphs from a golf course that it’s now a Democrat problem. “And what about Ebola!!?”

[PD Pepe]

Poor Mister Miscreat-in-chief––he be all tuckered out from his trip to India; he tells us what a looong plane ride that was–-yowza–- sniff, sniff and instead of addressing the Virus straightaway he gives us nefarious hoopla about what a great guy this Modi is––"he's doing a wonderful job" neglecting to mention, of course, India is being torn apart because of the "wonderful job" this racist leader has wrought.

I predict––Fatty is going to fall flat on his keister re: Operation Coronavirus––he can't control it, he can continue to lie about it but in the end that won't wash because lives are at stake here and it's universal. And putting the guy behind the throne in charge is probably not going to go well––Pence is a fixture, not a leader.

Robert Reich has had it with all the pessimism around Sander's and Warren's proposals:

"The reason to support Sanders' & Warren's proposals isn't because they inspire and mobilize voters–-it is because they are necessary."

This is worth reading:
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/robert-reich-america-cant-afford-not-to-elect-sanders-or-warren/#

[Bobby Lee]

Trump says that a vaccine for the Covid19 virus is coming "soon". Azar says however that there is no guarantee the vaccine will be affordable. They need private industry to step up and that will mean "Profits uber Alles".

[periscope]

For a alternate perspective from Larry Kudlow's "air tight" view of the US viral disease response, check out Lorrie Garret's interview on Democracy Now.

https://www.democracynow.org/2020/2/27/coronavirus_covid19_us_response

We can't know the extent of infections here if there are no test kits. Ms. Garret describes the figurative Babel - the disintegration of state to state cooperation arising out of distrust and preservation of resources.

Market opening down 600+ points today. How "air tight" are you feeling today Larry?

[PD Pepe]

Colbert & Warren together in a bar in South Carolina––eating, drinking and having a jolly old time.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stephen-colbert-elizabeth-warren-bar-interview_n_5e578f61c5b66622ed772466

[Anonymous]

Jamil Smith in Rolling Stone: "The ‘Black Questions’ at Debates Are Awful"

"The house — no, the neighborhood — is on fire, and you’re asking if Biden is displeased that he’s lost followers on Instagram."

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/south-carolina-democratic-debate-black-questions-moderators-958532/

[Akhilleus]

It’s very possible that the spread of the coronavirus into the US in a much more prevalent fashion, which (real) experts are warning about, as opposed to (Trump) experts (how’s that for an oxymoron?) who declare the contagion completely under Fatty’s competent control (a frighteningly ridiculous claim given that he can’t even spell it) could end up being an object lesson in the way natural processes refuse to abide by whatever specious ideological claptrap is currently in vogue by those wielding (stolen) power.

In a much more truncated fashion than climate change, which idiots believe they can handily refute by heaving a snowball into the senate chamber, or simply disallow by shrugging it off, as the decider once sniffed, saying that by the time nature got around to shoving it in our faces, we’d all be dead, the spread of deadly pathogens don’t take an age to have an impact.

The pathology of disease, especially viral contagions, act on a much advanced timeframe. If global warming progresses like a double-axled haywain pulled by a three legged donkey, viruses move like formula one race cars on a test track.

There’ll be no pooh-poohing things and hiding behind the usual right-wing confabulations if this thing takes off. Declarations by the principle liars (drug addict Limbaugh, eg) who try to make it out as no worse than a cold won’t be enough to provide cover for a frantically inept and ignorant administration which sees a possible pandemic as nothing more than an inconvenient speed bump on the road to stealing another election.

Maybe by then the Fat Baby will learn your spell it. Of course it will all be Obama’s fault by that time.

[RAS]

Looking at some of the bills that the House has passed in the last year one stuck out to me in our current climate, H.R. 269 — Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019

"Section 404 of the bill would address the dangers associated with pandemic influenza and anti-microbial resistance by bolstering existing strategic initiatives to research, develop, and acquire countermeasures relating to biological threats. Initiatives covered under this section include developing novel virus strains, vaccines, and other therapeutics."
Jennifer Tribble, PhD

[Bobby Lee]

Right now I'm observing a moment of silence for all the credulous fools who followed administration hacks advice and "bought on the dip" after Monday's market drop.

[Ken Winkes]

Flew back from Tampa earlier today, so missed the chance to drop 2500 bucks to see pence in person. Mostly wanted to see if he is one--or the wind-up toy he appears to be.

Just as well. Now that the Dems are crashing the market probably couldn't have sprung for it anyway.

Anyway, back and checking the news, which I studiously avoided since our Feb 8 departure. No news at all, just a couple of Pretender faces flashing on passing screens and too many MAGA hats as we moved up the west Florida coast from Key West to Georgia. And yes, even wrested myself away from RC for the duration.

Didn't miss the news, but did miss you all, and see I can't avoid politics much longer. I have to make a decision before my state's looming presidential primary, just around the corner.

Helped me a little maybe, but not thinking about the state of the nation for three weeks didn't help a lick with that.